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Arts & Communication Female Body at 8 Biennial Sea Salon
th

Figure 5. Oriana Duarte, Plus Ultra experiments, 2012

During her rowing journeys, Oriana Duarte
encountered other women who empowered her to
overcome prejudice in the sport. She reflected on this,
saying, “I confess that, upon returning to the club’s garage,
I felt immense pleasure upon seeing astonished men with
Figure 3. Oriana Duarte, Saldanha Rowing Club, Plus Ultra, Vitória Bay, our courage; I realized that they had accepted my calling
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card”. Plus Ultra opens avenues to challenge the societal
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construction of the female body in the public sphere as
passive. By exploring both corporeality and mentality
through journeys across various waters and delving into
the backstage of rowing garages, the project suggests the
potential to produce subjectivity that stands in opposition
to socially imposed modes of subjection.
Duarte’s body serves as a site of resistance, embodying
a woman artist who asserts control over her own visibility.
She navigates her creative process through the fluctuations
of desire and transforms her body, whether by directly
challenging societal expectations imposed on the female
Figure 4. Oriana Duarte, Belém Rowing Club and Manauara Athletic form or by evading them altogether. In adopting a stylistic
Association
approach to existence, shaped by techniques of self-
expression, her art takes on an added layer of significance
– a space I found myself in. It felt as if I had landed on – a form of situated and politically charged expression. 17
another planet and the thought of giving up crossed my
mind. Every night, before drifting off to sleep, I found This refers to a body that defies the conventional norms
myself pondering: How could I possibly continue working of art history, which often portrays the female body either
in such an explicitly misogynistic setting? Nevertheless, my as an object of desire or as silenced and confined. In this
pursuit of an enriched esthetic experience, encapsulated by context, art historian Lynda Nead suggests that the female
the notion of “plus ultra,” anchored me there – amidst the body, celebrated as the epitome of esthetic beauty, has been
murky waters of a river [alluding to the Capibaribe River], historically “framed” to represent the transformation of raw
a rowing garage, and amidst unfamiliar faces”. 14,p.258 material or nature into refined cultural and spiritual ideals.

The artist’s initial exposure to rowing occurred at Nead argues that within dominant cultural discourses,
the Capibaribe Club, where she found herself as the sole the female body – perceived as impure or improper – is
woman among approximately 30 participants. Throughout “controlled” through artistic nudity, typically depicted by
the entire duration of the project, spanning various clubs, male artists adhering to established esthetic norms. This
she encountered challenging and uncomfortable situations. not only dictates how the female body is portrayed but also
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In response, she asserted her autonomy by engaging in a influences how it is perceived. In this context, the act of
process akin to that of Dr. Frankenstein: selecting, piecing a female artist representing herself disrupts this tradition.
together, and attempting to integrate disparate elements Thus, by directing both her own body and the public’s gaze
from the scene – a process she found both gratifying and upon it, Duarte assumes a political stance that emphasizes
draining. This method served as her way of navigating the autonomy while simultaneously blending into the urban
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dynamic between self and others, offering insight into her landscape, undergoing a transformation while rowing
stance amidst varied corporealities (Figures 5 and 6). through unfamiliar waters.

Volume 2 Issue 4 (2024) 5 doi: 10.36922/ac.3023